Bawang Putih Bawang Merah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah is one of the more famous of old Malay folktales, passed down orally through the generations. Like most Malay folktales, the story is laden with lessons regarding familial values, patience in the face of adversity, and that ultimately good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished.

The story centers on a pair of half-sisters named Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih is the Malay name for garlic, while Bawang Merah is the Malay name for onion or shallot. This naming convention is in the same vein as the Western fairy tale sisters Snow White and Rose Red, although the previously mentioned Malay sisters do not get along as well. The use of these names for the female protagonist and her antagonist is symbolic of their physical similarity (both girls are beautiful) but have completely different personalities. Since the original folktale was passed on orally, different variations of the story exist. In most versions, Bawang Putih is the good and kind daughter, while Bawang Merah is the cruel and vindictive one.

[edit] The Story

The story takes place in a simple village household. The head of this family has two wives, and each wife has their own daughter. Bawang Merah and her mother were jealous of the attention the father gave Bawang Putih and her mother. When the father died, Bawang Merah and her mother took charge of the household and bullied Bawang Putih. Bawang Putih’s mother stood up for her daughter but she soon died prematurely, in some versions due to sickness and in some versions due to the intentional malice of Bawang Merah's mother.

With her biological mother and father dead, the gentle and obedient Bawang Putih was left alone to be tortured by her cruel stepmother and half-sister. Though Bawang Putih suffered, she was patient. One day when she was in the woods, she saw a pond in which a fish lived. The fish was able to speak, and told her that it was her mother who had came back to comfort her. Bawang Putih was overjoyed to be able to speak with her mother again, and secretly visited the pond whenever she could.

One day Bawang Merah saw Bawang Putih sneaking off and secretly followed her to the pond, where she witnessed Bawang Putih talking to her mother the fish. After Bawang Putih left the pond, Bawang Merah lured the fish to the surface of the pond and caught it. Bawang Merah and her mother killed the fish, cooked it and fed it to Bawang Putih without telling her where it came from. Once Bawang Putih finished eating, her stepmother and stepsister revealed where they obtained the fish. Bawang Putih was overcome with sorrow at this revelation.

Bawang Putih gathered the fish bones and buried it in a small grave underneath a big tree. When she came to visit the grave the next day, she was surprised to see that a beautiful swing had appeared from one of the tree's branches. When Bawang Putih sat in the swing and sang an old lullaby her mother taught her, it magically swung back and forth.

Bawang Putih continues to visit the magic swing whenever she could. One day, when she was in the magic swing, a Prince who was hunting nearby heard her singing. He followed the sound of her voice and tried to approach Bawang Putih, but when she realised that she was not alone, she ran back to her home.

The Prince and his advisors eventually found the home of Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. (In some versions this happens immediately after the Prince's first sighting of Bawang Putih, but in other versions it happens after a long search made by the Prince's advisors.) Bawang Merah's mother, seeing this opportunity, ordered Bawang Putih to stay hidden in the kitchen. The Prince asked about the swing and the girl who sat in it. Bawang Merah's mother said that it was her beautiful and talented daughter Bawang Merah. Though the Prince agreed that Bawang Merah was beautiful, he asked her to show him how she sang in the magical swing.

Bawang Merah and mother reluctantly followed the Prince and his advisors back to the magic swing. Bawang Merah sat in the swing and attempted to sing so that it will move, but she could not. The Prince started to get angry and ordered Bawang Merah's mother to tell the truth. Bawang Merah's mother was forced to confess that she has another daughter hidden in her house.

The Prince brought Bawang Putih back to the swing, and as she had done many times before, the magic swing started moving as soon as she began singing. The Prince was overjoyed and asked Bawang Putih to marry him. She agreed and they lived happily ever after.

[edit] See also

• The Golden Slipper
• The Story of Tam and Cam
• The Wonderful Birch
• Rushen Coatie
• Vasilissa the Beautiful
• Cinderella

[edit] Adaptations

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 1959 Malaysian live-action musical, starring Latifah Omar as a good Bawang Merah, Umi Kalthom as a bad Bawang Putih, and Mustapha Maarof as the Prince.

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 1986 Malaysian remake of the 1959 version.

Putih, 2001 Malaysian animated musical, starring the voices of Erra Fazira as Putih, Raja Azura as Merah and M. Nasir as Putera Aftus.

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 2006 Indonesian television serial starring Revalina S. Temat as a good Bawang Putih and Nia Ramadani as a bad Bawang Merah.